The landscape of rural Vietnam is rapidly changing with the rise of drones. In the Mekong Delta region of southwestern Vietnam, approximately 10,000 drones are already being used for pesticide and fertilizer spraying, while in the northern mountainous area of Dien Bien, trials have been completed for transporting harvested coffee down the mountainside. Vietnam is moving beyond field applications to establish national testing grounds and research facilities, aiming to develop a 'low-altitude economy' as a new industry.
According to local media reports on October 7, citing data from VNPT UAV Lab, around 10,000 drones are deployed in the Mekong Delta for pesticide and fertilizer spraying and precision agriculture. In the southern city of Can Tho, the area of rice cultivation using drones for pesticide spraying is expected to exceed 4,000 hectares this year.
The rapid adoption of drones in agriculture is driven by increased production efficiency. Pham Duc Bao, head of VNPT UAV Lab, explained that using drones can reduce seed usage by 45%, fertilizer by 30%, and irrigation water by 20%. Productivity can increase by about 12%, while overall production costs may decrease by up to 40%, potentially raising farmers' profits by approximately 6 million dong (about $250) per hectare per crop cycle.
Drones are expanding their role beyond pesticide spraying to precision agriculture. Drones equipped with multispectral sensors can capture images of crop health, utilizing big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify areas lacking water and fertilizer or showing signs of pests and diseases. This allows for targeted application of water, fertilizer, and pesticides only where needed.
Bao described pesticide and fertilizer spraying as the "initial stage" of drone utilization, emphasizing that precision agriculture, which combines data collection and analysis, represents the "future of UAV use in agriculture."
"Beyond Pesticide Spraying to Data Collection... The Growing Role of Drones in Rural Areas"
The use of drones is spreading beyond the flatlands of the Mekong Delta into mountainous regions. Bui The Duy, president of Hanoi National University, noted that UAVs are being widely utilized in Dien Bien and the Central Highlands. Some durian farms are purchasing UAVs and training personnel to operate them. Duy remarked that the pace of low-altitude economy expansion in rural areas is "faster than in urban areas," attributing this to UAVs being the most suitable and efficient technological products for rural settings.
In the mountainous Dien Bien region, drones have also entered the logistics sector. In September, in the Muong Ang coffee-growing area, UAVs completed 118 flights, transporting about 6 tons of harvested coffee from the production site to processing areas. Each flight had a payload capacity of 50 kilograms. Additionally, trials for pesticide spraying are ongoing in Muong Ang. While manual work on a sloped 1-hectare field takes 3 to 4 hours, UAVs can complete the task in just 7 to 10 minutes.
This initiative is part of a UAV regulatory trial program approved by Dien Bien Province in June. Nguyen Ba Anh, deputy director of the Dien Bien Science and Technology Department, described the results so far as "initial successes," noting that the basic requirements for flight paths, distances, payloads, and transport purposes have been met.
Dien Bien Province sees potential for expanding UAV applications beyond agricultural and production material transport to include medical logistics, essential goods delivery, digital surveying, forest and land management, disaster response, and search and rescue operations. One company has requested to review three projects: a UAV flight testing and training center, a production facility, and a technology exhibition and education center, with an estimated total investment of nearly 200 billion dong (about $8.5 million). The ongoing regulatory trials in Dien Bien are set to continue until the end of May 2027, with a target of approximately 6,000 flights.
From Rural Trials to National Industry... Three Testing Grounds Planned by 2030
The Vietnamese government has also proposed developing UAVs as a national industry rather than just individual agricultural technologies. The Politburo of Vietnam defined low-altitude airspace as a national resource and a new growth area on September 28, aiming to enhance self-sufficiency in technology, infrastructure, and data. Vietnam plans to increase the domestic production rate of major UAV models used in agriculture to over 30-40% by 2030 and over 85% by 2045. By 2030, the government aims to establish three national UAV flight testing grounds and at least one national research and testing center.
In the long term, the goal is to develop the low-altitude economy to contribute approximately 1.5% to the national GDP by 2045. To achieve this, the government plans to delineate flight zones, establish management systems covering registration, identification, permits, operations, and oversight.
Nguyen Van Thuat, deputy director of the Digital Economy and Digital Society Department at the Ministry of Science and Technology, stated that Vietnam is currently in the "initial stage" of developing its low-altitude economy. He emphasized the need to quickly establish regulations, standards, frequencies, and policies for skilled personnel, while also stressing that practical applications should not be delayed until the legal framework is fully completed.
Meanwhile, Vietnam's UAV industry is expanding its practical applications through the 10,000 agricultural drones in the Mekong Delta and the logistics trials in Dien Bien. However, challenges remain, including legal frameworks, inter-agency collaboration, complex terrain and weather conditions, and a lack of infrastructure and skilled personnel. Connecting field trials to a national industry will require establishing operational standards, management systems, and a skilled workforce.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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